4 comments:

When you say packaging - have you ever found a good source for chef-knife-sized boxes? Not the box you actually slap the label on and ship in, but a box to put the knife itself in?

I've not been able to find anything I can order off-the-shelf, vs. custom orders with a die-charge in quantities of 100 or more. Looked at boxes for ties, companies like ULine, etc. - you'd THINK somebody'd make a box that was like 14-15"/40cm x 3"/6-7cm x 2"/5cm deep, or close enough -- but I've not found one. Whether in chipboard (thin cardboard) or corrugated; one-piece with flaps or 2 w/ lid, whatever. (I should probably post this elsewhere, hoping for a community answer, sorry - maybe I'll take it to BladeForums or something - thoughts?)

I use ULINE boxes. Part S-16546 is a 14" x 3" x 3" mailer is a presentable box. Unfortunately, these are sold in minimum quantities of 100. A slightly larger box that works better for the way I package a chef's knife is ULINE's S-13298 which is 14" x 4" x 4" and comes in lots of 25 boxes. (around $0.75 per box) I use wine bottle corks and burlap wrap to secure/protect the knife and prevent the blade from slicing through the box during transport. These materials also make it safer for the recipient to unpack compared to something that is taped up with bubble wrap and so on.

Another thing I have tried is some 3" kraft mailer tubes from Staples. These tubes are usually sold in larger quantities, say 24, but you can get them a little longer and cut them to length with a saw. The round design works ok. make sure that one end cap is stapled in place and the opposite end is not stapled. Insert the wrapped up knife into the unstapled cap end blade first. This way the recipient is not reaching into the blade when taking the knife out of the tube.

I'll take some pictures of the packing. Of course, everyone please feel free to share your ideas for packaging.